Looking for a quick and fun way to boost your brainpower? The USA TODAY Easy Crossword is your perfect daily fit! This puzzle is designed to be accessible and solvable, offering straightforward clues and answers in a compact grid. Whether you’re a total beginner or just looking for a relaxing solve, we’re here to help you cross the finish line. Below are the clues and solutions for today’s USA TODAY Easy Crossword for December 15, 2025 .

USA Today Easy Crossword Answers: January 1, 2026 - 1

Today’s USA TODAY Easy Crossword Answers for December 15, 2025

  • 1 Across: Gift-package decorations – BOWS

  • 5 Across: Winter windshield coating – FROST

  • 10 Across: Kitchen or den – ROOM

  • 14 Across: Square footage – AREA

  • 15 Across: Prying tool – LEVER

  • 16 Across: Money in France – EURO

  • 17 Across: Count (on) – RELY

  • 18 Across: __ consequence (significant) – OFANY

  • 19 Across: Got bigger – GREW

  • 20 Across: Type of fitness training – BODYBUILDING

  • 23 Across: Musical ability – EAR

  • 24 Across: Caterer’s hot-water dispenser – TEAURN

  • 28 Across: Top of a wave – CREST

  • 31 Across: Lab maze runner – RAT

  • 34 Across: Event locale – VENUE

  • 35 Across: Search (for) – HUNT

  • 36 Across: Scold harshly – BERATE

  • 38 Across: U-turn from ENE – WSW

  • 39 Across: Type of fitness training – AEROBICEXERCISE

  • 42 Across: Corporate money mgr. – CFO

  • 43 Across: Explainer’s intro – YOUSEE

  • 44 Across: With no warranty – ASIS

  • 45 Across: Seed shells – HULLS

  • 47 Across: Fishing pole – ROD

  • 48 Across: Golf-shoe feature – CLEAT

  • 49 Across: Wartime partners – ALLIES

  • 51 Across: Go after in court – SUE

  • 52 Across: Type of fitness training – CALISTHENICS

  • 59 Across: Prepare, as potatoes – MASH

  • 62 Across: Be a pest to – ANNOY

  • 63 Across: Give (out) sparingly – DOLE

  • 64 Across: Toll road – PIKE

  • 65 Across: Glide on ice – SKATE

  • 66 Across: “Take __ from me” – ATIP

  • 67 Across: Wide smile – GRIN

  • 68 Across: Prefix for active – HYPER

  • 69 Across: Totally attentive – RAPT

  • 1 Down: Pointed remark – BARB

  • 2 Down: Black-and-white cookie – OREO

  • 3 Down: Fuse, as metal – WELD

  • 4 Down: Accept an offer from – SAYYESTO

  • 5 Down: Bread baker’s need – FLOUR

  • 6 Down: Altered mortgage, for short – REFI

  • 7 Down: 0-shaped – OVAL

  • 8 Down: Place in the mail – SEND

  • 9 Down: “Have a taste” – TRYIT

  • 10 Down: Jamaican music – REGGAE

  • 11 Down: Your and my – OUR

  • 12 Down: Unrefined metal – ORE

  • 13 Down: Cut the grass – MOW

  • 21 Down: Flying mammal – BAT

  • 22 Down: At no time – NEVER

  • 25 Down: Foolish – UNWISE

  • 26 Down: Moscow’s country – RUSSIA

  • 27 Down: Most up-to-date – NEWEST

  • 28 Down: Fast ballroom dance – CHACHA

  • 29 Down: Feeling regret – RUEFUL

  • 30 Down: Sign up – ENROLL

  • 31 Down: Happen again – RECUR

  • 32 Down: “Am not!” rejoinder – ARESO

  • 33 Down: Imposed a levy on – TAXED

  • 36 Down: Life story, briefly – BIO

  • 37 Down: Golf peg – TEE

  • 40 Down: “… land, two if __” – BYSEA

  • 41 Down: Appointment list – CALENDAR

  • 46 Down: Growth on rock walls – LICHEN

  • 48 Down: Pool player’s stick – CUE

  • 50 Down: Reduce drastically – SLASH

  • 51 Down: More timid – SHYER

  • 53 Down: Pitch-black – INKY

  • 54 Down: Break sharply – SNAP

  • 55 Down: Beach bag – TOTE

  • 56 Down: Smidgen – IOTA

  • 57 Down: Film excerpt – CLIP

  • 58 Down: Mo. when summer ends – SEPT

  • 59 Down: New-car sticker info: Abbr. – MPG

  • 60 Down: Football filler – AIR

  • 61 Down: Glide on snow – SKI

Today's USA Today Easy Crossword Answers: December 15, 2025 - 2

How did you fare with today’s USA TODAY Easy Crossword? Did you cruise to a speedy victory?

This USA Today Easy Crossword felt unusually energetic for an early-week puzzle, largely because of how strongly it leaned into physical activity and movement as a unifying idea. As I worked through it, the repeated references to different forms of training and motion gave the grid a sense of momentum, almost like the puzzle itself was exercising alongside the solver. What I appreciated most was how those longer, workout-focused entries were balanced by very familiar, everyday clues about food, money, and common actions, which kept the solve friendly and never overwhelming. The downs supported this nicely, stitching together domestic life, pop culture, and routine tasks in a way that made the grid feel full and lived-in rather than repetitive. It’s a puzzle that feels active, approachable, and thoughtfully structured, doing more than you’d expect from something labeled “easy.” I’d rate it 3.5 out of 5.

You can also check out today’s answers for other Crossword puzzles below:

  • NYT Mini Crossword Hints and Answers
  • Washington Post/LA Times Crossword Hints and Answers
  • LA Times Mini Crossword Hints and Answers
  • Washington Post Mini Meta Crossword
  • Boston Globe Mini Crossword Hints and Answers
  • USA Today Crossword Answers

How to Play the USA TODAY Easy Crossword

Playing the USA TODAY Easy Crossword is hassle-free and lightning-fast.

  • The Goal: The object is to completely fill the grid with words that correctly answer the “Across” (horizontal) and “Down” (vertical) clues.
  • The Clues: Use the list of clues provided for each direction.
  • Word Length: The grid itself guides you on the length of the words. A correct letter in one direction will often give you a helpful starting letter for the intersecting word.
  • Intersections: Look for those crossing points! Solving an easy “Across” clue can provide key letters that make a tougher “Down” clue suddenly click.
  • Daily Refresh: A brand new USA TODAY Easy Crossword is released every day, guaranteeing a fresh burst of puzzle fun.